Game apparatus.



H. E, comas. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-4.. 1916.

1,218,374. A Ptented Mar.6,1917.

HUIHM www lli W mmv mi l HARRY nnwAnncoArEs, or sAcitAMENTo, CALIFORNIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Y

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Application aied August' 4, 1916. serial No. 113,052.

To all 'whom t may. concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY E. CoA'rns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sacramento, in thc county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. J

My invention has for its object to provide a game apparatus neat in appearance, 'and having a casing with a number of pivoted arms, one end of the casing having an open-v ing through which aball may be dropped to roll down against one of the pivoted arms, the said arms having signal plates secured to them, so that when an arm is struck by a ball its signal plate will be raised, thereby indicating the arm which has been struck. After having been moved by the ball, the arm is returned to its normal position by a frame which extends across the casing to engage the arms, this frame being held yieldingly out of operative position by a spring, and being adapted to be operated against the resiliency of the spring by means provided.

Additional objects of the invention will appear in -the following specification, in which the preferred form of the invention is described. l

In the drawings similar reference characters denote similar parts in all the views, in which-- Figure 1 is a plan View of my game apparatus, a portion of the top being broken away to illustrate the construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

YFigI 4L is a perspective. view illustrating the manner in which the arms and signal apparatus are secured together.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that a casing 5 is provided having a bottom 6, a table 7, and a top 8, the table 7 being disposed between the bottom 6 and the top 8, and the casing being normally disposed in an incline, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The casing is adapted to be held at this incline by means of legs 9 which are secured to a rod 10 adapted to move down through an opening 11 in the casing bottom 6, this rod 10 being journaled in bearings 12 to the casing, and being adapted to be rotated by means of a handle 13 at the outer side of the casing, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. rIwo transverse rods 14 are secured to the top 8 of the casing, andto these rods'll there are pivoted a plurality of signal plates 15, a depending arm 16 being secured to each signal plate, the said arms 16 being disposed downwardly through the opening 17 in the casing top 8, so that they may be struck by a ball which is rolled downthe inclined table 7. At the lower end of the table 7 there are longitudinally extending guideways 18 which'prevent lateral Vmovement of the ball as it strikes -one of the arms 16, so that the momentum of the ballv will carry the arm 16 whichit strikes rearwardly, thereby servingV to raise the signal plate 15 secured to the said arm. The ball is inserted Vin the casing through an opening 19 in the casing top 8, the ball when it strikes against the table 7, rolling down the table, the direction of movement of the ball being changed by rounded obstructions 20. TvVhen the ball passes the obstructions 20, it will roll down one of the guideways 18 and against'one of the arms 16, to raise one of the signal plates 15 in the manner described. The said signal plates 15 have numbers printed thereon, so that a count may be kept of the numbers on the signal plates which are raised during the play made by each player. In the drawings, 1 illustrate two rows of Plates 15 with their arms 16; and in playing the game, itis my intention to use one of the rows of plates 15 for addition and the other row of plates 15 for subtraction, so that if a players score should be 20, and he should strike an arm to raise a. plate having the figure 9 in one row, his score would then be increased to 29;

wliile,"shou.ld he strike an arm to raise a signal plate having the figure 9 in the other row, his score would be reduced to 11.

As a means to return the arms 16 and their plates 15 to normal position, I provide a frame '22 having transversely disposed members 21 which are vdisposed in vthe rear of the arms 16, the said frame 22 being adapted to slide in guideways 23 at the sides of the casing. Secured to the transverse members 21 of the frame 22, there is a Arod 241 which extends to the upper end of the casing, this rod 24: projecting through an opening 25 in the casing, and being secured to a handle 26 by which it may be conveniently operated, this handle 26 being pivoted to the casing at 27. The frame 22 and the rod 24C are held in normal position by a spring 28 which is secured to the rod 2l at 29, the said spring Q8 being disposed transversely, and having its ends 30 secured to a guideway 23. rThe rod 24 is bent at 31 under the opening 19, so that it will not interfere with the introduction of va ball through the opening 19. Beyond the arms 1G there is a transverse chute 32 for directing the ball after it has passed the arms 16 through an opening 33 in the casing. The rod 2l is supported adjacent the casing top 8 by a guideway 34. There is a pocket 35 in the ci sing, in which the ball may be disposed when not in use, this pocket 35 being normally closed by a pivoted plate 36.

lt will be seen by referring to the drawings that the signal plates 15 may be constructed in two parts 152L and 15b, which lare disposed at an angle to each other, the number being indicated on the part 15EL and the part 15b being pivoted to a rod. To the part 15b between the rod 14 and the apex of the angle formed by the parts 15L and 15b the arm 16 is secured in substantially the same plane as the part 15b. With this construction a signal plate 15 may be readily operated by a ball, and the final plate will rest on its part 15b when the part 15u is raised.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a game apparatus, a casing having an inclined table and a top with an opening through which a ball may be dropped to the table, a plurality of depending arms pivoted above the lower end of the table on a transverse axis, signal plates secured to the arms and disposed above the table, .guideways at the sides of the casing, a frame disposed vfor moving in the guideways and having a transverse member for engaging the arms to return the latter to normal position, and means to operate the frame.

2. In a game apparatus, a casing having an inclined table, a plurality oi' depending arms pivoted above the lower end ot' the table on a transverse aXis, signal plates secured to the arms and disposed above the table, guideways at the sides of the casing, a frame disposed for moving in the guideways and having a transverse member free from the arms for engaging the arms to return the latter to normal position, and means to operatethe frame.

3. ln a game apparatus, a casing having an inclined table, a plurality of depending arms pivoted to the lower end of the table on a transverse axis, signal plates secured to the arms and disposed above the table, guideways atthe sides of the casing, a trame disposed for moving in the guideways and having a transverse member free from the arms for engaging the arms to return the latter to normal position, a spring for holding the frame in normal position, and an operating rod secured to the frame and eX- tending to the other end of the table.

4. In a game apparatus, a casing having an inclined table and a top with an opening through which a ball may be dropped to the table, a plurality of depending arms pivoted above the lower end of the table on a transverse aXis, signal plates secured to the arms and disposed .above the table, and longitudinally extending guideways spaced apart at the lower end of the table for guiding the ball at the arms.

5. ln a game apparatus, a table, a signal plate disposed above the table, the signal plate having two parts disposed at an angle to each other, there being a signal on one of the parts, pivoted means on which the other part is mounted, and an arm secured to the last mentioned part of the signal plate between the pivoted means and the angle formed by the said two parts,lthe arm normally depending from the signal plate for the purpose specified.

HARRY EDVARD COATES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

